Agniveer (Agnipath Scheme) General Reasoning and Mental Ability Syllabus

A man walks 3 km East then 4 km North. How far is he from the start?

5 km. By Pythagoras: √(3² + 4²) = √25 = 5 km.

What is a syllogism, and what are its three parts?

A logical argument that derives a conclusion from two given statements (premises). Parts: major premise, minor premise, and conclusion.

What do the four standard syllogism statement types mean: All, No, Some, Some...not?

All A are B = universal positive; No A is B = universal negative; Some A are B = particular positive; Some A are not B = particular negative.

Syllogism: All cats are animals. All animals are living. What follows?

All cats are living (and therefore Some living are cats). The relationship transfers through the middle term 'animals'.

In syllogisms, what is the key rule about conclusions from two particular (Some) premises?

Two particular premises (both 'Some') cannot yield a definite conclusion; no valid conclusion follows.

What is the task in a 'Statement and conclusion' question?

To decide whether the given conclusion(s) logically and definitely follow ONLY from the information stated, without using outside knowledge or assumptions.

What are the typical seating arrangement formats tested in reasoning?

Linear (a row, single or facing each other) and circular (people facing the centre or facing outward).

In a circular arrangement with everyone facing the centre, how do left and right appear to an observer?

They are reversed/mirror-like: a person's right is towards the observer's anticlockwise side, so directions must be tracked from each person's own perspective.

What is the first step to solving a seating/puzzle problem efficiently?

Start with the most definite (direct) clues to fix positions, then use conditional clues to eliminate possibilities.

In ranking/ordering, if a person is 7th from the top in a class of 30, what is their rank from the bottom?

24th. Rank from bottom = (Total − rank from top) + 1 = (30 − 7) + 1 = 24.

Formula: in a row, if a person is mth from one end and nth from the other end, what is the total number of people?

Total = m + n − 1 (the person is counted once in both positions).

In mathematical operations questions, what rule governs the order of operations?

BODMAS/BEDMAS: Brackets, Orders (powers/roots), Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction.

What is a 'symbol substitution' problem in mathematical operations?

Standard operators are swapped with new symbols (e.g., + means ×). You replace each symbol with its given meaning, then apply BODMAS.

If + means ÷, − means +, × means − and ÷ means ×, evaluate 16 + 4 − 2.

6. Substitute: 16 ÷ 4 + 2 = 4 + 2 = 6.

In inequality (coded) questions, how do you combine A > B and B > C?

Combine to A > B > C, giving the definite conclusion A > C. The common term must connect the two statements.

In coded inequalities, what does 'A ≥ B and B > C' allow you to conclude about A and C?

A > C is definite. (≥ combined with > yields strict >.)

What is being matched in a 'Figure series and analogy' question?

A visual pattern: how a figure transforms (rotation, addition/removal of elements, shading changes) is identified and applied to predict the next figure or complete the analogy.

What is the rule for forming the MIRROR image of a figure or text?

Left and right are interchanged (lateral inversion) while top and bottom stay the same; the image appears reversed horizontally, as in a vertical mirror.

Which capital letters look the SAME as their mirror image (along a vertical mirror)?

Symmetrical letters: A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y.

What is the rule for forming the WATER image of a figure or text?

Top and bottom are interchanged (vertical inversion / upside-down reflection) while left and right stay the same.

What is an 'Embedded / hidden figure' question?

You must find which answer figure contains the given target figure hidden within it, in the same size and orientation (without rotation).

In paper folding and cutting (punching) problems, how do holes appear after unfolding?

Each fold doubles the holes; on unfolding, punched holes appear symmetrically mirrored across each fold line that was made.

If a square paper is folded once and one hole is punched, how many holes appear when unfolded?

Two holes, placed symmetrically about the fold line.

On a standard die, what is the sum of dots on opposite faces?

7 (1 opposite 6, 2 opposite 5, 3 opposite 4).

If a cube is painted on all faces and cut into n×n×n smaller cubes, how many small cubes have exactly 3 faces painted?

Always 8 — the corner cubes (regardless of n, for n ≥ 2).

In a painted cube cut into n×n×n pieces, how many small cubes have NO face painted?

(n − 2)³ — the inner cubes not touching any outer surface.

What does a 'Spatial visualisation / orientation' question test?

The ability to mentally rotate, flip, or reassemble 2D/3D objects and identify how they look from a different viewpoint or after movement.

What is a 'Pattern completion' question?

A figure or grid has a missing portion; you select the option that correctly completes the design so the overall pattern/symmetry is preserved.

In a Venn diagram, what region represents items belonging to ALL given categories?

The central overlapping region where all the circles intersect.

Which Venn diagram correctly relates Dog, Animal, and Plant?

A small circle (Dog) inside a larger circle (Animal), and a completely separate circle (Plant) with no overlap — Dog⊂Animal, Plant disjoint.

Clock problem: by how many degrees does the minute hand move per minute, and the hour hand per minute?

Minute hand: 6° per minute (360°/60). Hour hand: 0.5° per minute (30° per hour).

Clock problem: how many times do the hour and minute hands overlap in 12 hours and in 24 hours?

11 times in 12 hours, and 22 times in 24 hours.

Calendar: how many odd days are in an ordinary year and in a leap year, and what is an 'odd day'?

Ordinary year = 1 odd day; leap year = 2 odd days. An odd day is the remainder of days left after counting complete weeks (days mod 7).

What is the rule to identify a leap year?

A year divisible by 4 is a leap year, EXCEPT century years (ending 00), which must be divisible by 400 (e.g., 2000 is leap, 1900 is not).